PHOENIX — Kirk Gibson is going to get a shot at managing the Arizona Diamondbacks for a full season.

Hired as the interim manager after a midseason shake-up, Gibson was given the permanent job on Monday, signing a two-year deal with a team option for 2013.

"I know a lot of our opponents have said, 'You guys have a lot talent,' and have a hard time figuring out why we weren't successful," Gibson said. "I think we have a great foundation to turn this around very quickly."

A fiery former player, Gibson was promoted from bench coach when the Diamondbacks fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes on July 2.

Gibson didn't lead any dramatic turnaround — Arizona was last in the NL West at 65-97 — but did change the sometimes laid-back attitude in the clubhouse.

"Everybody certainly likes him and respects him," D-backs reliever Aaron Heilman said. "He certainly managed the way he played the game, with a lot of fire and passion and very hard-nosed. And that's always a good thing. When you have a leader like that, it becomes easy to kind of follow his lead and bring that same kind of fire and intensity to your play."

New GM Kevin Towers said when he was hired that Gibson probably deserved a chance to lead the team from the start of the season.

Towers and Gibson also shook up the coaching staff, moving third base coach Joel Youngblood to a position within the minor league system and offering pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. an opportunity to remain with the organization in a different capacity.